Nicosia groups demand Makariou Avenue reopening, call it a “dead zone”

Local NicosiaroadsTop News Nicosia groups demand Makariou Avenue reopening, call it a “dead zone” Makariou Relevant News Nicosia groups demand Makariou Avenue reopening, call it a “dead zone” 19 August 2026 After Philippines school shooting, debate shifts to social media, gun safety 19 August 2026 NATO says it is “ready to face any threat” amid Iran strike fears 19 August 2026 newsroom 19 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A year after Nicosia Municipal Council decided to partially reopen Makariou Avenue, implementation remains pending, with the Joint Platform for the Struggle to Revive the Urban Commercial Core of Every City accusing the city of “bureaucracy and ideological fixations.” The Platform says that a year after the Municipal Council’s decision, dated May 15, 2025, which provided for the partial reopening of Makariou Avenue to all vehicles, “implementation remains trapped in the gears of bureaucracy and ideological fixations.” The Platform further argues that “we are facing a government that pursues policies against small businesses and their citizens,” citing as an example “the Cabinet’s recent decision, only a few days ago, to grant an exemption for yet another mall in Limassol, with the sole expected outcome, and apparently the desired one for the government, being the complete killing off of that city’s Historic Commercial Centre.” Building on this point, the Platform contends that with the closure of Makariou Avenue and Leventis Street, “the pedestrian area of the Historic Commercial Centre, within the walls of Nicosia, has been turned into a trapped enclave.” It adds: “The new and historic centres of Nicosia must function as one organic, unified centre. Their artificial separation is strangling the city, which is literally suffocating.” The same closure, the Platform says, means Makariou Avenue itself “functions as a ‘dead zone’ that arbitrarily excludes only shoppers, with the result that two in three shops remain empty.” “The manufactured deadlock the capital has fallen into was also officially recognised by the House of Representatives,” the Platform contends, adding that the Parliamentary Transport Committee, chaired by Marinos Moushouttas, “examined the issue thoroughly and took a clear position in favour of the fair demands of residents and shopkeepers.” Referring to the Integrated Mobility Plan for Nicosia, a separate long-term infrastructure plan, the Platform says “most of the infrastructure and projects provided for under the plan remain pending and will take decades to complete.” Turning to a different document, Nicosia’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the Platform says it “has not yet been published,” arguing that “the Action Plan does not touch on, not even with a passing mention, the issue of commercial transport, which burdens the urban environment with countless trucks and tonnes of carbon dioxide and other exhaust emissions.” The Platform notes that Deputy Mayor Chrysanthos Fakas “had the courage to publicly acknowledge the planning error, declaring a ‘mea culpa’.” It goes on to argue that “Mayor Charalambos Prountzos’s claim that the municipality will be required to return European funding is unfounded and has no basis in reality.” It adds: “The Mayor’s own proposal for full pedestrianisation at weekends and in the afternoons, after 5pm, is what would actually put the funding at real risk.” “The overwhelming majority of Nicosia residents want Makariou reopened and two-way traffic restored on its southern section,” the Platform concludes. The Platform is made up of six organisations: the Nicosia Pedestrian Street Shopkeepers’ Association (coordinator: Triantafyllos Zoidis), Organised Shopkeepers, Residents and Small Business Owners of Nicosia’s Pedestrian Streets (coordinator: Antonis Koupparis), the Initiative Committee for the Reopening of Makariou (coordinator: Nikos Vasileiou), the Committee of Business Owners, Property Owners, Residents and Visitors of the Southern Section of Makariou Avenue (coordinator: Marilena Ieromonachou), Organised Shopkeepers and Small Business Owners of Limassol’s Historic Commercial Centre (coordinator: Kristis Dimitriou), and the Pancyprian Association of Entertainment Venue Owners, PASIKA (coordinator: Fanos Leventis). (Information from Cyprus News Agency) Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News After Philippines school shooting, debate shifts to social media, gun safety NATO says it is “ready to face any threat” amid Iran strike fears Israel opens criminal probes over killings of Hind Rajab and Gaza rescue workers, military says Pension reform: Government proposes 50% hike and 12% penalty reduction Christodoulides calls pension reform the biggest since 1980 Great Sea Interconnector enters “decisive phase” with French involvement Strovolos to close two roads for resurfacing works next week Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.